LSU Residential Life has started construction on two new dorms where the Agriculture greenhouses were, near Miller Hall and Herget Hall. Along with these new dorms comes a complete renovation of Highland Hall.

These new dorms come on the heels of the LSU rule enacted last year that incoming freshmen must live on campus for their first year of college.

LSU Residential Life Associate Director of Communications and Development Catherine David said the new dorms will provide the University more space to house the growing numbers of incoming freshmen.

“The new halls will add 881 beds to the campus housing inventory to account for the growing enrollment projections and support retention efforts,” David said.

Kinesiology freshman Mia Karam, who lives in Miller Hall, said she thinks the new dorms are a good idea.

“There’s just too many people,” Karam said. “A lot of people live off campus because there’s just not enough room to live on campus.”

Psychology freshman Ann Clare Fremin said living on campus during freshman year should continue to be a requirement.

"It enhances your college experience," Fremin said. "You’re always around other college students.”

The dorm construction takes up a large amount of fenced off area. One construction zone is between the Miller and Herget parking lots and South Campus Drive. The other zone is in between Barnes & Noble and Annie Boyd Hall, in the Highland Hall lot.

Along with these new dorms’ construction comes the question of game day parking and the walking routes of students going to class.

David said the parking spaces removed by construction were replaced with limestone parking spaces in the same area and the construction will not impact parking on game days.

As for the students living around the areas, the construction doesn't seem to affect them.

“I’ve been walking a lot," Fremin said. "I just go around the zone."

David said the Highland Hall renovation will likely be completed in fall 2020.